Napa Valley in California finally gets its first Filipino restaurant, helmed by Michelin-trained chef Jade Cunningham.
The restaurant, called Carabao Napa, highlights the bold flavors and culinary traditions of Filipino cuisine through the refined techniques Cunningham learned from training at the Michelin-starred French Laundry. Cunningham runs the restaurant with her husband, business partner, and fellow French Laundry alum, Mathew Cunningham.
The seed for Carabao Napa started with a late night pop-up in December 2022. The positive response to that, coupled with encouragement from her mentors at French Laundry, pushed Cunningham to continue her pop-ups—and now, blossoming into her own brick and mortar space.
Carabao Napa’s menu features all the favorites and staples of our cuisine: lumpia, inihaw, inasal, sisig, kare-kare, and lechon—even spaghetti (yes, sweet, the way we Filipinos love it) and palabok.
While the heart of each colorful plate is undeniably Filipino, the dishes at Carabao Napa are creatively interpreted. Take the beloved tortang talong, served with marinated cherry tomatoes and smoked coconut bechamel. The pancit palabok, meanwhile, uses bihon noodles, with sauce made out of a ragu of pork and shrimp.
Visually, the restaurant also reflects its Filipino roots: Wicker trays adorn the ceilings, while the cool green tones of the walls—one end painted with tropical leaves that can easily transport one’s memories back to the lush greens of the provinces—are accented by paintings of brown maya birds in flight.
“Carabao is the first restaurant of its kind in Napa Valley: a refined yet accessible space that invites guests to discover, savor, and celebrate Filipino cuisine,” they say on their site.
Carabao is open Tuesdays to Saturdays, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
